Truth be told, I hate planning ahead for trips and adventures. When I make long term plans they rarely if ever pan out. With that said, I’m going to attempt to answer this week’s “Nature Writing Challenge” question: “Experiences you hope to have on Public Lands in 2019 - What are you looking forward to this new year”.
- Skiing - that’s a safe one! Despite the amount of preparation involved it seems one of the easier activities to plan. I will certainly be hitting the slopes of the Cascades several times in the next few months.
- Snowshoeing at Mt. Rainier - this one’s a bit iffier, because it depends entirely on whether the evil cheeto in DC gets a conscience and more than two brain cells to rub together (unlikely, I see no evidence of swine growing wings and taking to the air), the GOP gets a spine and impeaches him as he so deserves (also unlikely, the hot place has yet to develop a chill), or another stop-gap budget slides through. It seems entirely possible to me that this nonsense could drag on for months, keeping the parks closed, and federal workers unemployed for an indefinite period. Who knows when I’ll next be able to return to the wild places I love so much. Perhaps I’ll have to wait till next winter, if the government is open again by then!
- Other than the above, I hope for more of the same experiences - working with the USFS to care for our public lands, exploring public lands on day trips, car camping and overnight adventures, etc. - all of which hinge on the end of the shutdown occurring in a timely fashion.
So with that in mind, I’m going to remember 2018 and the waterfalls, the lakes, rivers, mountains, meadows, storms, sunshine, sunrise, sunset, the wildlife, the beach, the sea, and all the wonders I saw, and hope to experience some of the same again, as well as some I have not yet had the joy to lay eyes upon as yet.
I guess I really have one hope for 2019 - that our natural treasures, our public lands, get the funding and protection they deserve, and that our leaders in the capitol will put aside their difference to dethrone the one holding our public lands and the livelihoods of the people who care for them hostage.
